Issues: Capture of wild elephants

Elephants caught for timber industry and illegal wildife trade

Because of the long years of infancy when elephants are unable to work, it has been the custom to take wild elephants and train them rather than to breed them in captivity.

Additionally elephants breed poorly in non range countries (away from the places they are usually found) and there is a constant demand for elephants for zoos, circuses and other captive breeding facilities.

Capture ongoing in places
This practice can seriously affect the population of wild elephants especially when the breeding population in the wild is small. India, Vietnam and Myanmar have banned capture of wild elephants but in Myanmar, elephants are still caught each year for the timber industry and illegal wildlife trade.

Elephants are also captured as a conflict mitigation measure in Sabah and Sumatra. Crude capture methods can also lead to high mortality rate of captured animals.